Power Rankings: Alex Palou Tightens Grip on No. 1.

Editor's Note: Power Rankings is a feature published after each NTT INDYCAR SERIES race. INDYCAR.com staff writer Eric Smith ranks the top 10 drivers based on recent and season-long performance, statistical trends and the eye test from race weekends.

Alex Palou earned his fifth victory of the season Monday in the Borchetta Bourbon Music City Grand Prix presented by OnlyBulls at Nashville Superspeedway. The Spaniard stretched his championship lead to 83 points as in pursuit of his record-tying fourth consecutive Astor Cup championship trophy and fifth series title in the last six seasons.

Sebasten Bourdais is the only INDYCAR SERIES driver in history to win four titles in a row, doing so from 2004-07. Only A.J. Foyt (seven season championships) and Scott Dixon (six) have won more titles than Palou.

The Chip Ganassi Racing driver remains No. 1 entering the OnlyBulls Grand Prix of Portland on Sunday, Aug. 9 (4 p.m. ET, FOX, FOX One, INDYCAR Radio powered by OnlyBulls).

Here are the other nine.

↓10. Rinus VeeKay (No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet, Last Rank: 8)

VeeKay finished 12th at Nashville despite showing top-10 speed throughout the weekend. He also posted fourth-place finishes in two of the previous three races entering Nashville.

↑9. Marcus Ericsson (No. 28 Delaware Life Honda, Last Rank: NR)

Ericsson finished sixth at Nashville, his third top-eight finish in the past five races. That stretch includes a runner-up finish at World Wide Technology Raceway, a race where he led a race-high 114 laps.

↑8. Felix Rosenqvist (No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian Honda, Last Rank: NR)

Rosenqvist returns to the Power Rankings for the first time since ranking sixth after Road America. He charged from 17th at Nashville to finish fifth. This year’s Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge winner has four top-10 finishes in his past six starts.

↓7. Christian Lundgaard (No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, Last Rank: 2)

Lundgaard's four-race top-10 streak ended with a 16th-place finish at Nashville, but one off weekend isn't enough to knock him out of the rankings. He owns five top-10 finishes in his past seven starts, highlighted by his June 21 victory at Road America. This is Lundgaard's lowest ranking since he was ninth following the March 15 race on the streets of Arlington.

↓6. Pato O'Ward (No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, Last Rank: 5)

O'Ward charged from 12th to seventh at Nashville for his fourth top-seven finish in the past six races. That stretch includes a July 5 victory at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. He remains fifth in the championship standings and has appeared in the Power Rankings for 30 consecutive races, the second-longest streak behind Palou.

↑5. Scott McLaughlin (No. 3 Odyssey Team Penske Chevrolet, Last Rank: 9)

McLaughlin finished fourth at Nashville as Team Penske placed three drivers in the top four. He has four top-10 finishes in the past six races after recording three in the previous six. McLaughlin also has three top-seven finishes in his past four starts and led 32 laps Monday, third-most in the field.

↑4. Josef Newgarden (No. 2 Astemo Team Penske Chevrolet, Last Rank: 6)

Newgarden climbed two spots after finishing second at Nashville, which is where he started the race from. He has four top-10 finishes in the past five races, matching his total from the season's opening seven events. The two-time series champion (2017, 2019) won at Phoenix Raceway and World Wide Technology Raceway. This marks his third appearance in the top five this season. He was No. 1 following his Phoenix victory.

↔3. Kyle Kirkwood (No. 27 Sam's Club Honda, Last Rank: 3)

Kirkwood earned his fourth career NTT P1 Award at Nashville, his second such qualifying performance in three years at the 1.33-mile oval. He led 24 laps before finishing 10th, extending his streak to five consecutive top-10 finishes. Kirkwood is third in the championship standings. This is his fifth consecutive appearance in the top five and 11th this season.

↑2. David Malukas (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, Last Rank: 4)

Malukas rebounded from a practice crash on Saturday at Nashville and a 25th-place starting spot to finish third in the race. The Team Penske driver who was ailing from the accident after hitting his right knee on the steering wheel in the car’s rear-first impact, climbed from fourth to second in the championship standings after earning his fifth podium finish of the season, including four in the last seven races. He led 59 laps. This is the second time this season Malukas has ranked second, joining the week following his runner-up finish in the Indianapolis 500.

↔1. Alex Palou (No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, Last Rank: 1)

Palou climbed from the fourth starting position at Nashville to earn his fifth victory of the season and second in the past seven races. He led 97 of the 225 laps and has finished in the top five in four of the past five events while building an 83-point championship lead. Palou has topped the Power Rankings for nine consecutive races and 41 of the 44 editions since the feature debuted at the start of the 2024 season.